Broncos revitalized in win over Iona

Jonathon Gruenke | GazetteWestern Michigan's Donald Lawson tries to take a shot as he is fouled by
Iona College's Alejo Rodriguez Thursday night at University Arena. Lawson scored
12 points and had a team-high four assists.

KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan University's men's basketball team had reached critical mass prior to its Thursday date against Iona. But the Broncos got the crucial transfusion they needed inside the friendly confines of University Arena.

A cohesive WMU squad stopped its four-game hemorrhage with a 68-55 victory over the Gaels, accomplishing a laundry list of goals in the process.

The breakthroughs, Broncos coach Steve Hawkins said, were a direct result of what appeared to be trouble for his squad early in the first half.

"It was almost a blessing in disguise to have those kids in foul trouble, because they were fresh in the second half," Hawkins said of veterans David Kool, Derek Drews and Michael Redell.

Kool, who knocked down his first four shots en route to 11 first-half points, picked up a second foul to send him to the bench for the final 12 minutes of the half.

Various rotations, which included freshmen Darius Ward and Mike Douglas, sophomore Alex Wolf (Parchment) and senior Andre Ricks, helped to secure a nine-point lead at the break -- something the Broncos (3-8) have struggled to do all season.

"The guys did a nice job coming in for us," said Kool, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "The bench played the best game of the year. They brought great energy, executed for us, played great defense and they kept us afloat there in the first half."

Douglas, who Hawkins describes as "feast or famine," didn't score but delivered with four assists and only one turnover in six minutes. Senior guard Shawntes Gary and junior center Donald Lawson each added 12 points and combined for 13 rebounds.

The best post effort of the year, Lawson, Whitfield and McLemore played with the kind of confidence that's been missing, Hawkins said.

"Huge, huge, huge," he said. "We had an inside presence tonight and those guys combined for 20 points and they stayed out of foul trouble. There were a number of times they kept the ball alive."

The Broncos outrebounded Iona (4-6) 38-26, and their defense helped offset a cold offensive stretch to open the second half. Lawson said it was just a matter of the Broncos big men collecting themselves and playing with more control.

"We just had to take our time," Lawson said. "Make an efficient post move and don't rush. That was big, and it opened up the outside. It's just slowing down the game."

Whitfield, clearly ahead of the curve compared to the rest of Western's rookies, demanded the ball inside down the stretch and ended the night with eight points and four rebounds.

"The freshman time is over," he said. "I consider myself a veteran with how many minutes I've been playing. I should be used to the college level, the pace. It's about time I step up and show that leadership."

Freshman reserve Jermel Jenkins, who finished with 13 points to carry Iona in the absence of leading scorer Gary Springer (ankle), sparked the Gaels with a pair of 3-pointers with under nine minutes to play to trim Western's lead to 52-49. But timely offensive rebounds helped the Broncos quickly push the advantage back to double digits as McLemore and Gary provided second opportunities.

Iona coach Kevin Willard, fully aware of how desperate WMU was for a win, emphasized how devastating Springer's absence was.

"He's the one guy, especially on defense, who will do all the right things," he said. "He's kind of the anchor of our defense."

For WMU, this was precisely the kind of performance that kept it from being mentally dragged out to sea.

"Yeah, no question," Kool said. "It feels good to get a positive result after all the hard work."